His analogy is that some people want to know exactly how their car works, but most people just want to drive. I don't think that's an attack on everybody who's not an automotive engineer.
Also, he is flawed when saying that only about 1 person out of 50 should like this book ... since the largest part of the people exposed to SICP are programmers
He acknowledges that by saying "a big part of the explanation is that the audience is self-selected." But he also seems to be acknowledging that not every programmer needs or wants the depth that SICP provides.
The passage in question, as neither of you seem to have read it closely:
> Donald Knuth says he wrote his books for "the one person in 50 who has this strange way of thinking that makes a programmer". I think the most amazing thing about SICP is that there are so FEW people who hate it: if Knuth were right, then only 1 out of 50 people would be giving this 5 stars, instead of about 25 out of 50. Now, a big part of the explanation is that the audience is self-selected, and is not a representative sample. But I think part of it is because Sussman and Abelson have succeeded grandly in communicating "this strange way of thinking" to (some but not all) people who otherwise would never get there.
I read it closely the first time, thanks. If you'd like to directly address something I said, feel free.
Although, I only said two things, (1) he acknowledges the audience is self-selected (direct quote from the review), and (2) some people aren't willing to put in the work to gain that level of familiarity with the subject (directly supported by his analogy in the second paragraph).
Does that contradict anything in the review? You seem to be fixated on something else there that S4M and I aren't discussing. If you'd like to draw attention to that, again feel free.
Also, he is flawed when saying that only about 1 person out of 50 should like this book ... since the largest part of the people exposed to SICP are programmers
He acknowledges that by saying "a big part of the explanation is that the audience is self-selected." But he also seems to be acknowledging that not every programmer needs or wants the depth that SICP provides.